Filling cartons with plastic substances



' Nov. 23, 1965 G. E. WILLIAMS FILLING GARTONS WITH PLASTIC SUBSTANCES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 5. 1961 Nov. 23, 1965 s. E. WILLIAMS 3,219,459

FILLING GARTONS WITH PLASTIC SUBSTANCES Filed Nov. 3, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I [M O NW 239 2' %&" 13

United States Patent 3,219,459 FILLIYG CARTONS WlTH PLASTHQ SUBSTANCES Geofirey Ernest Williams, Gerrards Cross, England, as-

signor to Lever Brothers Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Maine Filed Nov. 3, 1961, Ser. No. 150,013 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Nov. 11, 1960, 38,807/60 9 Claims. (Cl. 99-192) This invention relates to filling cartons with fiowable plastic substances, particularly ice cream in a soft state.

When cartons are filled in succession with ice cream which is continuously extruded through a filling nozzle in a soft state, we have noticed that the sides of the cartons tend to bulge. This is a disadvantage since, due to the bulging, the cartons tend to be filled with more ice cream than is intended. Also, if the ice cream is to be hardened by contacting a pair of opposite sides of each filled carton with fiat refrigerated plates, any bulging of these sides will result in poor thermal contact with the plates. If the flat refrigerated plates are brought together to contact the bulging Sides of the carton we have found that ice cream tends to be forced out of the carton.

The present invention is concerned with reducing or eliminating this bulging.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of filling a carton with a fiowable plastic substance including the step of squeezing a pair of opposite sides of the carton at substantially the same time as the filling of the carton is completed.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of filling cartons with flowable plastic substance comprising extruding the flowable plastic substance through a nozzle, bringing each carton into communication with the nozzle, moving each carton out of communication with the nozzle after this carton has been filled, and squeezing a pair of opposite sides of each filled carton while this carton is moving out of communication with the nozzle.

According to another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of filling cartons with fiowable plastic substance comprising filling a carton by means of a nozzle, moving the filled carton out of communication with the nozzle in a direction transverse to that in which the plastic substance is filled into the carton, during this movement of the filled carton wiping off by means of the nozzle any excess plastic substance on the top of the filled carton into the next carton to be filled, and squeezing a pair of opposite sides of the filled carton during this wiping off action in order to reduce any bulging of these sides.

When the carton is a rectangular parallelpiped with one pair of opposite sides larger than the other sides, then this pair of larger sides should preferably be squeezed.

According to a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a machine for filling a carton with howable plastic substance, including means for squeezing a pair of opposite sides of the carton substantially at the same time as the filling of the carton is completed.

According to yet a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a machine for filling cartons with fiowable plastic substance by means of a nozzle, including means for squeezing a pair of opposite sides of each carton after it has been filled but while it is still in communication with the nozzle.

With these filling machines the nozzle can be capable of being inserted into each carton during the filling of this carton. Preferably, in such a case, the nozzle is inserted into the carton at the beginning of the filling and then withdrawn as the carton is filled. The filled carton can be arranged to move out of communication with the 3,219,459 Patented Nov. 23, 1965 nozzle in a direction at right angles to that in which the plastic substance passed through the nozzle during filling; during this movement of this carton the nozzle can be arranged to wipe off any excess plastic substance protruding above the top of the carton; this excess plastic substance can be arranged to be wiped off into the next carton to be filled.

The squeezing means can include a plate arranged to exert pressure on the leading side of a filled carton while this is being moved out of communication with the nozzle. One or more arms can be arranged for so moving the filled carton, which arm or arms exerting pressure on the opposite side of the carton so that the carton is squeezed between the arm or arms and said plate. The or each arm i preferably plate-like.

Said plate can be carried on a linkage which can be arranged to move the plate out of the path of a filled carton, on which the plate has been exerting pressure, after this filled carton has moved out of communication with the nozzle. The linkage can include a friction coupling which is arranged to slip to allow movement of said plate when a filled carton is pushed against said plate with a force greater than a predetermined value. Preferably, the arrangement is such that this coupling slips during the movement of a filled carton out of communication with the nozzle, and then the linkage moves the plate out of the path of the filled carton. The linkage can include means for resetting the amount through which the coupling is caused to slip by a filled carton, this re-setting occurring before the plate cont acts the next filled carton.

By way of example, an embodiment of the invention will now be particularly described with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:

FIGURES l to 5 show in elevation the passage of cartons through a filling machine in accordance with the invention; and

FIGURE 6 shows a section of a detail of the machine taken on the line VIVI of FIGURE 1.

In the drawings, for simplicity, only the parts essential for an understanding of the invention are shown.

The machine has a rectangular cross-sectioned filling nozzle 1 which is movable in the vertical direction. The discharge end of the nozzle 1 is in a plane which makes a small angle with the horizontal, as can be seen in FIG- URES 1 to 5. Cartons are conveyed through the ma- 1chine by pairs of arms 2, 3, 4 and 5 as will be described ater.

A plate 6 is pivotally attached at 7 to a lever 8 which is mounted on a hollow stainless steel shaft 9 only the axis of which is indicated in FIGURES l to 5 but which shown in greater detail in FIGURE 6. A link 11 is pivoted at one end to the shaft 9 and is pivoted at the other end to a fixed pivot 12. The shaft 9 is non-rotatably attached to an end of a link 13 which is pivoted at 14 to a bell crank lever 15. The bell crank lever 15 pivots about a fixed pivot 16 and is pivotally attached at 17 to an operating rod (not shown). The lever 15 has a projection 18 which carries a peg 19. The enlarged end 20 of the lever 8 carries a finger 21 arranged to engage the peg 19 at a certain position of the levers, as shown in FIGURE 5.

As shown in FIGURE 6, a key 22 prevents rotation between the end of the link 13 and the shaft 9. The enlarged end 20 of the lever S is provided with a phosphor bronze bearing 23 having a tapered internal bearing surface which engages a tapered shoulder 24 of the shaft 9. The bearing 23 is held hard against the shoulder 24 by a phosphor bronze disc 25 which is urged by a spring 26 against a side of the enlarged end 29. A pin 27 allows axial movement of the disc 25 relative to the shaft 9 but prevent-s rotation of the disc relative to the shaft. The spring 26 is held under compression by a cap 28 which is mounted 3 on a bolt 29 for adjusting the compression, which passes through the bore of the hollow shaft 9.

The operation of the machine for filling cartons with ice cream in a soft state will now be described.

Each carton is previously erected from a cardboard blank into a sleeve having a rectangular cross section with one pair of opposite sides larger than the other pair. The flaps at the bottom of the carton are folded and interlocked to close the bottom. The top of the carton is left open with the flaps attached to the pair of larger sides folded back against the outsides of these sides.

A carton A is brought to rest in a position with its open top vertically below the nozzle 1. The nozzle, which is a sliding fit in the carton, is moved downwards into the carton A and at the same time the plate 6 is moved to within 0.3 centimetre of the leading larger side 31, as shown in FIGURE 1.

Ice cream is continuously extruded through the nozzle which is withdrawn as the carton is filled. During this filling, the larger sides of the carton bulge due to the pressure of the ice cream in the carton, and the leading larger side 31 contacts, or nearly contacts, the plate 6 as shown in FIGURE 2. At the same time the next carton, B, is being moved between the pair of arms 2 and 3 towards the nozzle.

Just as the nozzle is withdrawn level with the top of the now filled carton A, the arms 2 contact the trailing side of the carton A and start to move it out of communication with the nozzle 1. At the same time, the arms 3 are moving the carton B into communication with the nozzle, as shown in FIGURE 3. As the carton A starts to move, its bulging leading side 31 is forced against the plate 6 which does not move until the carton A is forced against this plate with a force sufiicient to cause the spring loaded friction coupling 23, 24, 25 to slip. The compression of the spring 26 is pre-set by means of the bolt 29 so that this coupling slips when the arms 2 and plates 6 have squeezed the bulging sides fiat. This squeezing causes the ice cream to more uniformly fill the carton, including the corners, and any excess ice cream is forced upwards. As the carton A moves relative to the nozzle 1 the lower edge 32 of the nozzle wipes off any excess ice cream from the top of the carton A into the next carton B.

FIGURE 4 shows the position when the filled carton A has been moved completely out of communication with the nozzle 1 and the carton B is in full communication with the nozzle. The movement of the lever 8 from the position shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 to that in FIGURE 4 is accommodated by the slipping of the coupling 23, 24, 25 so that the carton A is continuously squeezed during this movement.

The arms 3 pivot out of engagement with and move past the carton B. The operating rod pivoted at 17 to the bell crank lever 15 is actuated to move the bell crank lever 15 anti-clockwise, causing the lever 11 to pivot about 12. This moves the plate 6 out of contact with and out of the path of the carton A, as shown in FIGURE 5. During this pivoting, the peg 19 engages the finger 21. The bell crank lever 15 is pivoted anti-clockwise through a pre-determined angle past the position shown in FIGURE so that the peg 19 moves the finger 21 clockwise relative to the shaft 9 to re-set the lever 8 to the angular position it occupied relative to the shaft 9 before the carton A caused the coupling 23, 24, 25 to slip. FIGURE 5 also shows the nozzle 1 starting to enter the carton B and the next empty carton C being moved between the pairs of arms 4 and 5 towards the nozzle.

The bell crank lever is then moved clockwise to return the plate 6 to the position shown in FIGURE 1 and the cycle of operations repeated to fill and squeeze carton B.

In order to help the filled cartons retain their shape, the open top of each carton should preferably be closed as soon as, or shortly after, the plate 6 moves out of contact with the filled carton.

In a modification of the machine shown, the pairs of arms 2 and 4, which co-operate with the plate 6 for squeezing filled cartons therebetween, are in the form offlat plates similar to the plate 6.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of filling cartons with fiowable plastic substance comprising the steps of bringing a carton into communication with a nozzle, extruding a flowable plastic substance through said nozzle to fill each carton to the top and cause sides of said carton to bulge, moving each carton out of communication with the nozzle, when said carton has been filled, in a direction transverse to that in which the plastic substance is filled into the carton and squeezing a pair of opposite sides of said carton inwardly while said carton is moving out of communication with the nozzle to reduce bulging of said opposite sides.

2. A method of filling cartons with fiowable plastic substance comprising filling a first carton by means of a nozzle, moving the filled first carton out of communication with the nozzle in a direction transverse to that in which the plastic substance is filled into the carton, during movement of the filled carton wiping olf by means of the nozzle any excess plastic substance on the top of the filled first carton int-o the next carton to be filled thereby completing the filling of said first carton, and squeezing a pair of opposite sides of the filled carton while wiping off said excess plastic substance to reduce any bulging of said opposite sides.

3. A method of filling cartons with a fiowable plastic substance comprising filling a first carton by means of a nozzle, each carton being rectangular parallelepiped shaped with one pair of opposite sides larger than the other sides, moving the filled first carton out of communication with the nozzle in a direction at right angles to that in which the plastic substance is filled into the first carton, during movement of the filled first carton wiping off by means of the nozzle any excess plastic substance on the top of the filled first carton to be filled, thereby completing the filling of said first carton, and squeezing said larger pair of opposite sides of the filled first carton inwardly while wiping ofif said excess plastic substance to reduce any bulging of these sides.

4. A method comprising filling a carton with fiowable plastic foodstuff by means of a nozzle, moving the filled carton out of communication with the nozzle in a direction at right angles to that in which the foodstuffs is filled into the carton, wiping off by mean-s of the nozzle during movement of the carton any excess foodstuif on the top of the filled carton into the next carton to be filled thereby completing the filling of said first carton, squeezing a pair of opposite sides of the filled carton in order to reduce any bulging of these sides while wiping off said excess foodstuff, closing the filled carton, arranging the carton between refrigerated plates wth squeezed sides in thermal communication therewith to freeze the foodstuff contained in the filled carton.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4 in which the foodstuff is ice cream.

6. A machine for filling cartons with fiowable plastic substance comprising a nozzle for filling a carton with a foodstuff, means for moving each carton transversely to the nozzle and out of communication with the nozzle when the carton has been filled to the top, means for squeezing a pair of opposite sides of each carton when it has been filled and while it is still in communication with the nozzle; said squeezing means comprising a plate to exert pressures on the leading side of a filled carton while this carton is being moved out of communication with the nozzle and a linkage supporting said plate for moving the plate between a first position in the path of a filled carton to exert pressure .on said carton while it is in communica tion with said nozzle and to another position out of the path of said filled carton after said filled carton has moved completely out of communication with the nozzle.

7. A machine for filling cartons with fiowable plastic substance comprising a nozzle for filling a carton with a foodstulf, means for moving each carton transversely to the nozzle and out of communication with the nozzle when the carton has been filled to the top, means for squeezing a pair of opposite sides of each carton when it has been filled and while it is still in communication with the nozzle; said squeezing means comprising a plate for exerting pressure on the leading side of a filled carton while this carton is being moved out of communication with the nozzle and a linkage supporting said plate for movement between a first position in the path of a filled carton to exert pressure on said carton and to another position out of the path of a filled carton after it has moved completely out of communication with the nozzle, said linkage including a friction coupling enabling displacement of said plate out of said first position when a filled carton is pushed against said plate with a force greater than a predetermined value.

8. A machine for filling cartons with fiowable plastic substance comprising a nozzle for filling a carton with a foodstuff, means for moving each carton transversely to the nozzle and out of communication with the nozzle when the carton has been filled to the top, means for squeezing a pair of opposite sides of each carton When it has been filled and while it is still in communication with the nozzle; said squeezing means comprising a plate for exerting pressure on the leading side of a filled carton while this carton is being moved out of communication with the nozzle and a linkage supporting said plate for moving said plate to a first position in the path of a filled carton to exert pressure thereon and to another position out of the path of the filled carton on which the plate has been exerting pressure after said filled carton has been moved out of communication with the nozzle, said linkage including a friction coupling to enable said plate to be displaced when said filled carton is pushed against said plate with a force greater than a predetermined value, and means for resetting said plate through a distance equal to the distance said plate was displaced.

9. A machine for filling cartons with fiowable plastic substance comprising a nozzle for filling cartons with the fiowable plastic substance, means for successively moving cartons horizontally into communication with the nozzle, means for moving the nozzle vertically into and out of each carton to fill a first carton to the top, means for moving said first carton out of communication with the nozzle, means on said nozzle for Wiping otf any excess plastic substance on the top of said first carton into a second carton as said first carton i-s moved out of communication with said nozzle, and means for squeezing a pair of opposite sides of said first carton when it has been filled and while it is still in communication with the nozzle; said squeezing means comprising a plate for exerting pressure on the leading side of said first carton while it is being moved out of communication with the nozzle, a linkage supporting said plate for movement between a first position in the path of said first carton to a second position out of the path of said first carton, said linkage including a friction coupling to enable said plate to be displaced when said first carton is pushed against said plate with a force greater than a predetermined value, and said linkage including resetting means for resetting said plate through a distance equal to the distance said plate is displaced before the plate contacts the said second carton.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 636,058 10/1898 Ostenberg 141-80 XR 2,181,603 11/1939 Long 141-165 X 2,206,157 7/1940 Brown 141-165 X 2,329,311 9/1943 Waters 141-10 X 2,340,637 2/1944 Bauer 141-133 2,540,557 2/1951 Stine 141-82 XR 2,625,805 1/1953 Magnuson 99-192 XR 2,651,445 9/1953 Kennedy 141-280 2,781,799 2/1957 Bradford 141-77 XR LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner. 

4. A METHOD COMPRISING FILLING A CARTON WITH FLOWABLE PLASTIC FOODSTUFF BY MEANS OF A NOZZLE, MOVING THE FILLED CARTON OUT OF COMMUNICATION WITH THE NOZZLE IN A DIRECTION AT RIGHT ANGLES TO THAT IN WHICH THE FOODSTUFFS IS FILLED INTO THE CARTON, WIPING OFF BY MEANS OF THE NOZZLE DURING MOVEMENT OF THE CARTON ANY EXCESS FOODSTUFF ON THE TOP OF THE FILLED CARTON INTO THE NEXT CARTON TO BE FILLED THEREBY COMPLETING THE FILLING OF SAID FIRST CARTON, SQUEEZING A PAIR OF OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE FILLED CARTON IN ORDER TO REDUCE ANY BULGING OF THESE SIDES WHILE WIPING OFF SAID EXCESS FOODSTUFF, CLOSING THE FILLED CARTON, ARRANGING THE CARTON BETWEEN REFRIGERATED PLATES WITH SQUEEZED SIDES IN THERMAL COMMUNICATION THEREWITH TO FREEZE THE FOODSTUFF CONTAINED IN THE FILLED CARTON. 